Oma Wilma Heimatküche

The story

Oma Wilma Heimatküche – Modern Cuisine in a Sylt Thatched-Roof House, Keitum

Sylt’s Heimatküche, Reimagined

Under the low, dark eaves of one of Keitum’s oldest thatched-roof houses, Oma Wilma Heimatküche serves a modern interpretation of the food its name evokes. Chef and owner Nicolas Rathge, a Sylt native who trained under Jörg Müller and cooked at Berlin’s Margaux, the MS Europa, and the Sölring Hof, opened this restaurant as a personal dream. The name honours his grandmother Wilma, who taught him to cook and whose spirit of generous, no-fuss home cooking runs through every dish.

What “Heimatküche” Means Here

Rathge describes his cooking as a “creative new mix of regional ingredients and classic cuisine,” rooted in the hearty housewife food many remember from their own grandmothers. The menu changes monthly, tracking what’s best and freshest. Fish comes from Denmark, game exclusively from the Hamburg area, and most vegetables from Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein. The result is a Modern Cuisine that feels both grounded and surprising.

Recent dishes give a sense of the kitchen’s range: a starter of Husumer beef tartare with beetroot, quail egg, and caper; a main of Zanderfilet with braised cabbage, blood sausage, and jus; or a vegetarian Wirsing roulade with red cabbage cream and black salsify. The kitchen works seasonally, so the lineup shifts.

A Setting That Matches the Food

The dining room sits beneath the original reet (thatch) roof, warm and intimate. In good weather, tables spill into the garden under old trees – a rare patch of green on the island. The atmosphere is relaxed, the service young and energetic. It’s the kind of place where you can linger over an aperitif (perhaps a White Port Tonic) before moving through the menu.

Michelin awarded Oma Wilma a “Recommended” rating in 2026, recognising the consistency and clarity of the cooking. For those who want to taste Sylt’s culinary roots given a fresh, intelligent voice, this is the address.